How to export Proton Pass passwords: CSV, ZIP or PGP file

Proton Pass can export your whole vault in three formats, from three of its apps. The format you pick decides how careful you need to be with the file afterwards, so choose it before you click anything.

How do you export passwords from Proton Pass?

Open Proton Pass in the web app, the browser extension or the Windows app, click the gear icon to open settings, and go to the Export tab. Choose a ZIP with a PGP-encrypted file, an unencrypted ZIP, or a CSV file, then click Export. Proton says the mobile apps cannot export.

Which export format should you pick?

Proton's export help page lists three options. It recommends encrypting the file "if you plan to store it as a backup or if you want to transfer it in some way," and says the other two depend on what your next password manager accepts.

Format	What it is	Good for	Handle it like
ZIP with PGP-encrypted JSON	Your data, locked with a passphrase you choose	Backups, and moving the file between devices	A locked box: safe to store, but keep the passphrase
Unencrypted ZIP	Your data in a plain archive	Importing into a manager that takes this format	Plain text with a zip around it
CSV	A plain spreadsheet of your logins	Importing into a browser or a manager that asks for CSV	A sheet of paper with every password written on it

If you only want a backup, take the encrypted ZIP. Proton says you can import either kind of ZIP straight back into Pass, the encrypted one included. If you are moving to a new password manager, check its import page first and match the format it asks for. Many take CSV.

Where to find the export screen on each app

Proton says you can export from its browser extensions, web app and Windows app. On each one, the starting point is the gear icon, but it sits in a different place.

App	Where the gear icon is
Web app	Bottom left corner
Browser extension	In the menu behind the hamburger menu (☰)
Windows app	In the menu behind the hamburger menu (☰)
Mobile apps (iOS, Android)	Export is not available

If you only use Pass on a phone, sign in to the web app on a computer to export.

Step by step: export your vault

Open Proton Pass in the web app, the browser extension or the Windows app, and sign in.
Click the gear icon (see the table above for where it is).
Click the Export tab.
Choose one of the three formats.
If you chose the encrypted option, type a passphrase in the passphrase field. Pick one you can remember, because you need it to open the file later. Proton points to its password generator for help; our passphrase generator also works.
Click Export. The file goes to your computer's default download folder.

That is the whole export. The rest of this guide is about what to do with the file.

How to open the encrypted export

You only need this if your new password manager will not take the PGP file as it is, or if you want to read your data without importing it. Proton gives these steps on the same page.

Windows

Install GPG4Win with its default settings.
Extract the exported ZIP and open the "Proton Pass" folder inside it to find data.pgp.
Right-click data.pgp and choose Decrypt and verify.
Enter the passphrase you set during export and click OK, then Save All.

macOS

Install GPGSuite.
Extract the ZIP and open the "Proton Pass" folder to find data.pgp.
Right-click it and choose Services, then OpenPGP, then Decrypt File.
Enter your passphrase and click OK.

Linux

Proton notes that most distributions have PGP support built in, so opening the file and entering the passphrase is usually enough. On the command line, run gpg --decrypt on the export file and send the output to a new .json file.

On all three, the result is a decrypted JSON file in the same folder, which you can open in any text editor. Proton adds that you can rename it to end in ".json" if it has no extension. The moment you decrypt it, that JSON file needs the same care as a CSV.

Keep the unencrypted file safe

A CSV, an unencrypted ZIP or a decrypted JSON holds every password in your vault as readable text. Anyone who opens the file can read them, and so can any backup or sync service that copies your downloads folder. Google puts it plainly in its Chrome import help: if you don't delete the password file, "anyone who uses the device can open the file and access your passwords."

Treat the file as live for the few minutes you need it:

Export only when you are ready to import. Do the two back to back, not days apart.
Keep it local. Do not email it to yourself, put it in a chat, or upload it to cloud storage. If your downloads folder syncs to the cloud, save the file somewhere that does not.
Import it. Use your new password manager's import screen and check that the number of items matches what Pass showed.
Delete it, then empty the trash. Deleting the file only moves it to the Trash or Recycle Bin. Empty that too.
Keep an encrypted copy if you want a backup. Run a second export with the PGP option for that, and store the passphrase separately from the file.

Importing into your browser's password manager

If your next stop is the password manager built into your browser, two of the big ones document a CSV import on their own help pages.

Chrome. Google says Google Password Manager only imports passwords in .csv format. In Chrome, open More, then Passwords and autofill, then Google Password Manager, then Settings. Under Import passwords, click Select file and pick the CSV. Google says you can import 3,000 passwords at a time, so split a bigger file into several. It also suggests checking that the first line of the file has the column names "url", "username" and "password", and adding them if they are missing.

Safari and the Passwords app on Mac. Apple's Passwords guide says the file must be a CSV. Open the Passwords app, choose File, then Import Passwords from File, click Choose File, select the CSV and click Import. When it finishes, Apple offers a Delete button for the file, which is the step to take. Apple says imported passwords do not replace ones you already have, and you can review any that could not be imported.

For any other password manager, follow its own import guide and match the format it lists.

Using Proton Pass through work

On business plans, Proton's policy page shows that admins have a setting for data export by organization members. By default, members can export only the vaults they created. If the Export tab does not offer what you expect, ask your admin before assuming something is broken.

Frequently asked questions

Can I export Proton Pass from my phone? No. Proton says you cannot export data using the Proton Pass mobile apps. Use the web app, a browser extension or the Windows app instead.

What is the safest Proton Pass export format? The ZIP containing a PGP-encrypted JSON file. It is protected by the passphrase you choose at export, and Proton recommends it for backups and transfers.

Can I import a Proton Pass export back into Proton Pass? Yes. In settings, open the Import tab, choose Proton Pass from the list and drop in the ZIP. For the encrypted ZIP, Pass asks for the passphrase you set.

Does exporting remove my passwords from Proton Pass? No. Export makes a copy. Your vault stays as it was until you delete items yourself.

What should I do with the CSV after importing? Delete it and empty your trash. A CSV stores your passwords as plain text, so it should not outlive the import.

Moving your email too

If you are also moving your inbox, Secria Mail has a guided Import from Proton: you save your mail as EML with Proton's Export Tool and drop the files in, and mail is read and encrypted in your browser before upload. Contacts import from CSV or vCard. Every plan, the free one included, protects your mailbox with ML-KEM-1024 with X25519 post-quantum encryption, on by default. The Proton Mail alternative page has the details.

One last pass before you close the laptop: search your downloads folder for the export file name and make sure nothing readable is left behind.